Add in the cult vulcan bomber and a number of menacing sharks. Released in 1965, the film was a critical and commercial success. Inspired designs on tshirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. Thunderball terence young, 1965 much of the location filming for thunderball took place in the bahamas, in and around nassau. Bond and felix search for the vulcan, finding it underwater and inside a. Apart from the jet pack, the real star of that movie was the vulcan. When a british vulcan bomber is stolen with two atomic bombs on board, james bond is one step ahead of his fellow agents when they are assigned to track down the aircraft. While there really is an area known as the golden grotto in the bahamas now rechristened to thunderball reef, the golden grotto sharks that largo keeps in his swimming pool and describes as the most. Bond was specifically assigned to station c canada, although he requested that his assignment be changed to. Thunderba ll was the fina l james bond fi lm directed by young. What james bond movie had underwater scenes filmed at. The avro vulcan bomber from thunderball the james bond dossier. The stolen vulcan bomber crashlands in the sea off rose island, on the northeastern coast of new providence island. Thunderball the landing of the vulcan bomber original music.
A nato bomber which was supposed to be piloted in a test run by major francois derval. He is an awesome 007 and the movie is in excellent condition. Cozumel has a thunderball reef and a sunken plane which is apparently not the vulcan bomber used in thunderball, but a different plane used in a mexican disaster film. Worlds last flying vulcan bomber is to be grounded forever after engineering backers pull support over safety fears. Awesome movies the james bond 007 classic thunderball. Most readers should be familiar with the plotline of the fourth james bond movie, thunderball 1965, which centres around the theft of two atomic bombs following the hijacking of an raf vulcan bomber on a training exercise. To prevent anyone using the vulcan bomber mockup for future filming, the. Click through the photo gallery at right to see the list.
It is hidden alongside clifton wall, part of nassau harbour, where the framework of the purposebuilt prop despite being blown up after filming can still be seen, almost alongside the sunken freighter from the thunderball. The aluminum overcast vulcan is one tough bird, but the scene of it landing on the water intact in thunderball is pure hollywierd. Thunderball is a 1965 spy film and the fourth in the james bond series produced by eon. Worlds last flying vulcan bomber is to be grounded. Xa9 used on the ground which palazzi and the crew board. After 50 years it might not be in its best shape but it still can be thrilling. Fiona volpe thunderball the female villains wiki fandom. Thunderball 1965 you only live twice 1967 on her majestys secret service 1969.
The photos below feature the vulcan bomber mockup, and also the disco volante, the cocoon, and the third disco volante. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for. Thunderball 1965 avro vulcan bombers bell 47j helicopter with pontoons bell aerosystem rocket belt boeing b17 flying fortress sikorsky s62 seaguard skyhook rescue system. Some of the scenes are simply breadth taking in spite of the somewhat edgy lead character. Rare photographs of avro vulcan mockup from thunderball. This movie is the story about the retirement of the last airworthy and truly badass old war bird. After being grounded, it was later restored to flight by the vulcan to the sky trust and displayed as a civilian aircraft from 2008 until 2015, before being retired a second time for engineering reasons. The avro vulcan bomber from thunderball the james bond. This particular aircraft was used to develop the fulton skyhook system used in the movie. These rare photos show the full size replica of an avro vulcan bomber aircraft built for james bond film thunderball. The underwater bomb sled used in this movie where the atomic bombs are.
It is an out of date practice today, as more advanced helicopter rescue methods are used, such as those seen in the movie the guardian. Fiona is a deadly spectre operative assassin with long red hair. Thunderball the landing of the vulcan bomber original. The vulcan was the key to spectres plan, angelo palazzi, dervals imposter, came to dervals hotel room where he was being. All at universal exports, the home of james bond, 007. David hedison and the models used in the voyage to the bottom of the sea. Rare ride inside the worlds last airworthy vulcan see inside the worlds sole airworthy vulcan bomber, and watch onboard footage and interviews with the pilot and the man who saved it. Francois derval paul stassino, in order to steal a vulcan bomber and its precious cargo of two atomic bombs. Thunderball hijack scene and pilot drowning scene from the vulcan bomber thunderball is owned by united artist and was used to practice. Thunderball was the fourth james bond movie and continued to star sean connery in the lead role. In this film james bond is played by sean connery, who i think did the best portrayal of bond. Thunderball reef, off staniel cay, the exumas, bahamas speargun battle vulcan bomber wreck, south ocean, new providence island, bahamas underwater scenes get the imdb app. Thunderball is one of the best of the james bond movies.
Thunderball is the fourth film in the james bond film series, and the fourth to star sean connery as james bond. Bond plunges into the mischief, naturally shark surrounded. Mcclory reportedly wanted richard burton to play james bond. Thunderball movie prop for sale on ebay what is said to be one of the original avro vulcan bomber plane models from the film thunderball has been listed for sale on the popular online auction site ebay. Although it was filmed in the 1965, the technology and action scenes still look good 50 years later i bought the dvd in 2017. David benz the first is the tears of allah, from the epic sean connery bond film never say never again. You could have an intact vulcan bomber as shown in the movie only if it was picked up with a crane and gently lowered into the ocean. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. One vulcan, xh558 gvlcn spirit of great britain, was used as a display aircraft by the raf as part of the vulcan display flight until 1993.
James bond wrecks, thunderball is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in nassau, new providence, bahamas. Thunderball 1965 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The only time that i know of a valiant being in a commercial movie. The underwater bomb sled used in this movie where the atomic bombs are deployed later ended up in the possession of screenwriter kevin mcclory after the reallife prop was used on promotional tours after the movies release. The jet pack we used in thunderball was real it was invented for the united. The vulcan bomber had been stolen by villain emilio largo adolfo celi, a top gun of spectre, and disguised underwater with an algae looking cover. Thunderball 1965 the best movies in cinematic history. The structure from the vulcan bomber plane used in the james bond film thunderball is now home to a thriving coral garden and marine life like french angelfish. The mission, codenamed thunderball, was to work with nato, the cia, and all allied intelligence units.
Fiona is portrayed as the beautiful italian actress luciana paluzzi. Years later, young sai d thunderba ll was filmed at the right time, considering that if it was the first film in the series, the low budget dr. Fleming eventually tired of the movie business, and went back home to jamaica to write his next bond novel, thunderball. Spectre divers remove the atomic bombs from the sunken vulcan bomber. Thunderball hijack scene and pilot drowning scene from the vulcan bomber thunderball is owned by united artist and was used to practice work with imovie. In the briefing packet was a picture of derval with his sister dominique in nassau, bahamas. For the filming of thunderball two vulcans were used for the ground and flying sequences and as well as scale model work a full size mockup of a vulcan was built in. This is the site of a sunken, partially detonated mockup of a vulcan bomber used in the james bond film thunderball 1965 from which largo, a. The james bond dive sites are only a fin flap away. Mcclory stored the prop at his villa in the bahamas where it decayed until he sold the property in the early 1990s.
I doubt very much that any of the liveaboards go there they all leave from the harbor on the other side of the island and go out to the outer islands exuma, san salvador, eleuthera etc. For the filming of thunderball two vulcans were used for the ground. Fiona volpe is the secondary antagonist from the 1965 film thunderball. You could have an intact vulcan bomber as shown in the movie o. At the beginning of the movie, she becomes the mistress of nato pilot maj. Why bond was here in thunderball, bond sean connery wants to find a hijacked war plane with two nuclear warheads on board. In thunderball, bond sean connery wants to find a hijacked war plane with two nuclear warheads on board. In the movie thunderball, a pilot successfully lands a vulcan. You only live twice 1967 aerospatiale alouette iii 316b helicopter kawasakibell 47g3 5 bird 1 blofelds fictional twostage rocket used to capture u. The royal air force makes a test run with their vulcans. The cold war icon is an achievement of british aerospace engineering. Tears of allah nsna wreck and the thunderball bomber wreck are both off stuart coves nassau location.
Today, this aircraft has been restored to wwii configuration and is on display at the evergreen aviation museum in mcminville oregon with the name shady lady. This system would later become standard on special operations variants of the c used by the usaf. For the film thunderball a full size replica of the avro vulcan was constructed. The dramatic landing of the vulcan bomber had no music in the final film now see and hear what john barry had envisioned. It was based of ian flemings 1957 novel of the same name.
The exterior panels have long since disintegrated, and all thats left of the plane is the metal framework, looking for all the world like the little mermaids jungle gym. Kevin mcclory, ian fleming and jack whittingham collaborated on an original story and screenplay for what would have been the very first 007 film, entitled james bond, secret agent. The story focuses upon spectre attempting to steal nuclear bombs from britain and nato and hold them for ransom. The vulcan was prominently featured in the 1965 james bond film thunderball, where such an aircraft was hijacked by the criminal organisation spectre. The avro vulcan later hawker siddeley vulcan from july 1963 is a jetpowered tailless delta wing highaltitude strategic bomber, which was operated by the royal air force raf from 1956 until 1984. Its not a ship at all but a mockup of a vulcan bomber. It was the first bond movie to really expand upon the use of gadgets and is still great fun to watch. The estate on the north shore of new providence is all bricks and palms.
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